Chicago Bears: 5 Keys to a Bears’ Week 4 Victory over the Carolina Panthers
Published by James Kries on September 29, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
As week 4 approaches, the Bears find themselves in a must-win situation. The defending NFC North champions are already two games behind Green Bay and Detroit, after a pair of losses to the last two Super Bowl champions.
At this point, a Bears fan might feel a sense of longing for the days of “Rex is our quarterback,” Lovie Smith’s mantra during the Bears’ Super Bowl run of 2006. Week 2’s national embarrassment to New Orleans signaled the return of the tackling dummy offensive line that the Bears perfected in the first half of 2010. The Saints blitzed constantly in the game, sending Jay Cutler to the Superdome floor repeatedly.
Week 3 found the Bears trailing the Green Bay Packers from the outset with Cutler scrambling again despite Green Bay playing a 3-4 defense while sending few blitzes the Bears’ way. With their first-round pick, right tackle Gabe Carimi out for at least a month with a dislocated knee, it appears the Bears will have to deal with a patchwork offensive line again while Jay Cutler somehow finds enough time to complete passes to wide receivers who cannot get open.
Week 4 brings the Carolina Panthers and their rookie phenom Cam Newton to Soldier Field in a game that suddenly does not look like as easy of a win as it did when the 2011 schedule was revealed. Newton has NFL fans buzzing with his back-to-back 400 passing yard performances in his first two games, and his first win at quarterback in a North Carolina downpour against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3.
Let’s look at how the Bears can get back to their winning ways of 2010 against the Panthers.
